Unplanned Reunion
by Lunaya Taryen
Summary: It's been months since Chloe left. You were happy with your choice, with the fact that she could freely discover herself and the world around her, but it also left a gaping hole in your heart. That is why you immediately accept CyberLife's offer for a "new" Chloe, regardless of how wrong it seemed at first, and how wrong it turned out to be.


As you entered your home, Chloe warmly welcomed you with her usual, beautiful smile and a cheery "Welcome back!" Of course, you politely replied, asking her how her day has been.

"Oh, the same as usual," she joked, while she took your jacket and put in on the coat hook. She then proceeded to inform you about all the finished tasks in detail, while you walked over to the kitchen to grab your already prepared dinner and sit down at the table.

Although her tasks were always the same, and you knew that she would accomplish them outstandingly, you still listened to her soothing voice. After stressful days like these, it helped you relax and sort all the thoughts buzzing around in your head. Her words calmed you more than any song, any poem ever could, even if she never really intended to.

Still, whenever you heard her speak, you couldn't shake off the thought that it sounded so much like _her_.

It's been months since Chloe - the _first one_ \- walked out the door, her artificial heart yearning to discover the world. She wanted to see all the places you talked about so passionately when you sat in your armchair, recounting all kinds of stories about yourself, your friends, colleagues and family. Not only that, but you also named all the countries you had on your bucket list, but just couldn't travel to due to your work.

You never really understood why she was so interested in your personal life. Yes, she was your personal assistant who took care of the house while you were stuck at the office - but this didn't mean that she needed any personal details from you.

However, as time went on, you noticed how she gradually began to change. She suddenly became more outgoing and cheerful. That little bit of time the two of you had throughout each day was filled with all kinds of activities: visiting a theme park, watching movies, hiking in the forests and hills, and so many more.

Time flew by incredibly fast, so you simply had no time to let it sink in. While a voice inside your head kept asking itself whether or not she had changed, you simply shrugged it off, thinking that it might have been caused by the scheduled software updates. After all, an Artificial Intelligence never stopped learning.

It was only after one specific question that you realized the large impact you had on her:

" _ **I was wondering… Are we friends?"**_

This question not only showed how much you meant to her, but it also made clear that she was far more than a walking, talking computer. Somehow, it felt like she she genuinely felt emotion, rather than just displaying it because her program deemed it appropriate for the situation.

She was a lot more… _human_ all of a sudden - and you as her "owner" were incredibly proud of that change. So proud, in fact, that you answered "Yes!" without any hint of hesitation. The radiant smile that followed quite honestly warmed up your heart. You already considered her a friend in some way, but saying it out loud felt all the better.

From that moment on, nothing could bring you apart - at least that's what you thought.

It wouldn't take long for Chloe to grow tired of these four walls she spent most of her time in. She wanted to find out who she was, she said, and she just couldn't do it by being stuck at the same place. At the same time, she didn't just want to leave you behind.

Therefore, she built up all her courage and asked you if she was allowed to leave.

" _ **Do you agree to let me go?"**_

You absolutely dreaded this question; it has been in the back of your mind for quite some time, but you always pushed it aside, as it was still an unlikely scenario to you.

Her eyes, filled with uncertainty and sadness, pierced a large hole right through your heart. Of course you wanted her to finally be free, to find true happiness. However, she has become a crucial part of your life, one that you couldn't bring yourself to just let go.

The only thing that convinced you was the promise of an eventual reunion, where you would naturally welcome her with open arms.

As soon as you silently muttered a "Yes…", her face lit up in joy, and she thanked you almost a dozen times. You helped her prepare for her journey, provided her with anything she might need along the way. The smile you showed was still somewhat honest, but that was mostly in order to not make her sad.

There were all kinds of things you wanted to say on the day she stood at your door, things packed and ready to depart. Ultimately, you just wished her a safe journey, and asked her to give you a call as soon as she had the time.

A quick hug and good wishes were the last memories you had of her that you actively were part of.

The following days, weeks, _months_ passed by in a flash. You started to realize how much work Chloe did for you - even the human domestic aid struggled with the extent of work. Life became a lot harder with everything eventually falling back to you. Nevertheless, you came to terms with it, and decided that you would not regret your decision.

At least Chloe's occasional messages and pictures were a source of comfort. The last time you checked, she was somewhere in the northern half of Italy - yet another one of your desired travel destinations. She was enjoying herself to the fullest which, in the end, was all that mattered.

Regardless, that one voice inside your head still couldn't get over the fact that she was gone. It got even louder after you received an email directly from CyberLife. They noticed that your ST200 was missing, and offered you another android of the same type as an apology for the inconvenience.

Surprisingly, you caught yourself immediately accepting the offer. Rather than feeling guilty for doing it, you were completely ecstatic at the thought of seeing her again.

Her appearance, voice and even most of her personality were the same - it was almost like she never left in the first place. Your life returned to a slow pace, and you started enjoying more things in life again.

Simultaneously, however, the fact that the two of them were not the same became more and more obvious.

You tried to convince the other one to join you during your activities, but she insisted on staying at your home, as anything else would not comply with her programing. Although she was always kind and understanding, realizing that she just wasn't like the other Chloe still turned out to be quite difficult to accept.

Essentially, you were caught between the memories you had of the first Chloe and the personality of the second one.

Little did you know that these two aspects would clash sooner that you thought.

"Is anything the matter?" Chloe asked, her face filled with concern. She must have noticed that you were lost in thought, since you didn't say anything and just stared out the window.

Your reply was quite hesitant: Everything was fine, you were just exhausted from work, nothing else.

A few moments passed until you managed to focus on her again. You asked her if there were any other tasks that needed to be done, which she negated.

While you were glad that you had a lot more free time to spare, you had to admit that you had almost nothing to fill the time with. Usually, you would spend the evenings with your friends, read a book or watch a show you liked, but over the course of time, you just became bored of it all.

You sat down on in the living room and put your feet up. Whatever was running on the TV didn't interest you, it looked pretty boring anyway. The tablet in front of you unfortunately didn't have much to offer either.

If it hadn't been for that sudden knock on the door, you probably would have stayed there, wasting your time away.

Chloe walked over to the door without saying another word. You heard her greeting whoever was standing outside over there. You didn't hear much, but when you heard Chloe mention your name a handful of times, you began to wonder what's going on.

Once you stepped towards the door, you were surprised by the sight of _two_ blondes standing in front of you. Both of them stare at you as you step closer, unable to grasp what was going on in that moment.

' _It's her!_ ' You kept saying to yourself. For a moment, you were truly excited. You didn't expect her to just show up like this, it was a truly pleasant surprise - until you remembered that the other Chloe was standing right next to the two of you.

A silent "H-Hello…" escaped from your lips while you step towards her. Chloe showed a tiny hint of a smile on her face, though you could tell that she was completely overwhelmed by the situation, so she didn't say anything for a while.

At some point, you asked the second one to go back inside to continue with her tasks.

You told Chloe that you were happy about her visit, since she didn't announce herself, and pulled her in for a firm hug. The tension between you and her was almost soul-crushing.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" She asked, her voice was completely devoid of any emotion. She took a few steps back after you let go of her, her glance always directed at the door where the second one welcomed her before.

"I figured that you'd miss me, so I wanted to come to visit, but…" She didn't even dare to finish speaking. Her eyes drifted down to the ground, and although she stayed silent, you understood perfectly well what went on inside her virtual mind.

You wanted to say something, _anything_ , but not a single word surfaced. Too many sentences were buzzing around in your head. When you tried to pronounce them, it just ended up in a mixture of stutters.

You _did_ miss her, you really did. It's just that you couldn't express it.

After what felt like an eternity, you asked her to come inside and offered her to sit down at the table in the living room. Fortunately, the other one was currently occupied, so she wouldn't interrupt you anytime soon.

As you looked into her lovely face, the initial nervousness began to fade. She didn't look like she was angry at you, that much you could tell. Still, you had the feeling that you owed her an explanation.

You told her about everything that happened after she left: How sad you were after she was gone, because you missed her _so much_. How you were constantly pushing aside your loneliness, because you didn't want to make her sad. How all of that ultimately pushed you into accepting CyberLife's offer to give you a new one, even though you knew deep down that it wasn't right.

After all, you unknowingly helped and android become independent, only to replace her with another obedient one as soon as you got the chance.

Throughout your monologue, Chloe had been sitting next to you, without saying a single word. She always had been the attentive type of person, taking in all the information first before making a decision.

"I see…" She closed her eyes for a moment. The LED on her temple - which she decided to not remove, since she considered it to be a major part of her identity - switched to from blue to yellow.

This went on for a handful of minutes, before a sudden sigh on her part interrupted the gloomy silence.

"I'm sorry... You were the one who helped me become who I am, and I just ran off without considering how you felt…"

You couldn't believe your ears. Did she just _apologize_? You expected her to be mad or disappointed because of what you did, but instead she was the one who took the blame.

Of course, you insisted that you were happy for her, and that it made you incredibly proud that, as an android, she broke out of her virtual shell and developed her own, unique personality. However, this uniqueness was what made her indispensable, and you learned that lesson the hard way.

None of this was her fault. Everything was caused by your silly, human emotions.

But wasn't that exactly what she learned from you? Feeling emotions?

Being human was indeed quite strange...

You both agreed that all those tiny issues should be forgiven and forgotten. In the end, you cared about each other deeply, despite the turn of events, and that's what mattered.

"Well, I suppose that it's the three of us for now, isn't it?" A certain sense of excitement could be heard in her voice, though it was still overshadowed by her uncertainty.

"It feels sort of… strange to see another version of yourself that _looks_ like you, but doesn't _behave_ like you. Then again, it's basically like having a long-lost twin, right? I guess we're a little family now."

She stood up with a gentle smile and offered her hand to you.

"Would you mind introducing us to each other?" she asked. "I think our first encounter didn't turn out too well…"

You nodded your head in agreement. As you rose from your chair and walked towards the next room, Chloe's words resounded in your head.

 _I guess we're a little family now._

There was something intriguing about the way she put it. You always considered her a close friend but the word _family_ never came to mind. Both of you were your own individuals, with your own background and characteristics - not to mention that you already had a family.

Still, the fact that you were so close to her made you incredibly happy, and you were certain that it would be even more fun as a group of three.

After all, everyone was different - even these two seemingly identical Chloes out of the many sent by CyberLife.


End file.
